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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28835004">A Day Off With Dannie</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/belivaird_st/pseuds/belivaird_st'>belivaird_st</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Carol (2015), The Price of Salt - Patricia Highsmith</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/F</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 13:29:24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>986</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28835004</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/belivaird_st/pseuds/belivaird_st</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Dannie McElroy shakes things up by spending time with Therese and meeting Rindy.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Carol Aird/Therese Belivet</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>18</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>A Day Off With Dannie</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Therese tugged the cloth end of her slipper over the heel of her foot as she made her way downstairs noticing one of Rindy’s toys left on the bottom floor. It’s a yellow pull-string dog on wheels with leather floppy ears and tail. She picked it up and brought it to the kitchen before somebody trips on it. Carol already had a nasty fall from a similar situation at work. </p><p>A napkin with half-eaten jelly on toast lays on the table with a glass of milk. Fearful of the child’s whereabouts, Therese left and poked her head inside the living room which remained empty. </p><p>Therese stepped out into the hallway and spotted Rindy at the front door with the cold wind blowing through. </p><p>“Rindy—I’ve been looking for you all over!”<br/>
Therese rushed towards the girl and took sight of Dannie McElroy standing outside the welcome mat wearing a trenchcoat and fedora hat.</p><p>“There she is,” he greeted.</p><p>“This is Dannie,” Rindy introduced.</p><p>“I know,” Therese replied, shifting her feet. </p><p>“Rindy’s been telling me all sorts of neat stuff—the names of all the horses she rides at camp, her father’s new car, the fact that red jello tastes better than green jello...” </p><p>“What are you doing here, Dannie?” Therese demanded. She slowly pulls Rindy close to her long skirt, giving her back the string toy dog.</p><p>“We both have the day off, so I thought maybe I could take you girls out to eat or somethin’?”</p><p>“No, that’s okay,” Therese started, making Rindy jump on her toes.</p><p>“Can we please go with Dannie? Please, Therese?” she begged. </p><p>He smiled, which made Therese more impatient. She thought of Carol, who was at her furniture shop, working the morning shift. How would she react if she found out her daughter hung around the city with Dannie McElroy? It seemed inappropriate since he wasn’t her father—the only man in Rindy’s life— Harge liked to remind everyone. Then again, maybe if the three of them did go out and went to see Carol for a surprise visit, that wouldn’t be so bad...<br/>
right?</p><p>“C’mon,” Dannie urged. “The fresh air will do you good!”</p><p>“I’ll grab our coats,” Therese gave in.</p><p>Rindy cheered.</p><p>*****</p><p>Dannie had rented a limo and paid the driver extra to give them a ride around Manhattan with heated seats and a mini ice bucket with bottles of sparkling cider. Rindy couldn’t stop playing around with the buttons, making the main window slide up and down, causing a commotion that only brought Dannie laughter and a worrisome look on Therese. He nudged her with his elbow, grinning.</p><p>“A smile wouldn’t hurt, Terry,” he told her. </p><p>“Are we almost to the diner?” she asked him.</p><p>“We’ve drove through so many, hon,” he chuckled. “I just want you to have some fun!”</p><p>“Can we go to the toy store, Dannie?” Rindy picked up an ice cube from the silver bucket and began sucking on it. Therese was mortified by the sight, covering her face with shame. </p><p>“Sure thing, baby,” he said, leaning forward to instruct the driver their next destination. </p><p>*****</p><p>Dannie bought Rindy a clown doll that gave Therese the creeps. She listened to the shrill ringing of the jingle bells sewn on its green-orange polyester suit the whole ride to the diner and checked her watch, realizing that they’ve missed Carol’s lunch break a half an hour ago.</p><p>As she stared into her butternut squash soup letting it grow cold, Dannie was trying to feed her his grilled turkey sandwich. </p><p>“You want a bite?” </p><p>“No. Take us home.”</p><p>“Without any dessert?”</p><p>
  <i>“Dannie.”</i>
</p><p>He looked across the booth at Rindy, who’s chomping the tip of a steak fry. She giggles when he steals some off her plate and growls like an animal.</p><p>****</p><p>The telephone’s ringing inside the house when the limo drops them off. Rindy clings onto Dannie on the sidewalk, infatuated with him—her first crush—Therese realizes, but she doesn’t think more of it and tries pulling her off.</p><p>“It was a lot of fun going out with you girls,” he was telling the five-year-old. “Hope we can do it again!”</p><p>“Yeah!” Rindy exclaimed. She felt Therese picking her up in her arms, the clown doll dangling by one brown shoe.</p><p>“Let’s get you in, your mother’s calling for us,” Therese said, breath floating in the air. She started carrying Rindy back up the concrete steps, pulling the house key out of her coat pocket. Dannie snorted over the abruptness and went back to the limo to take it back to the dealership.</p><p>“Yes? Hello?” Therese snatched on the third ring. The phone felt heavy against her head. Cold on her ear. </p><p>“Hi,” Carol greeted from the other line. “I called earlier, but nobody answered.”</p><p>“We went out,” Therese explained, watching Rindy dragging her clown facedown by its jester hat, humming cheerfully. “Rindy and I had lunch with Dannie.”</p><p>“Dannie McElroy?”</p><p>“Yes. We both had the day off. Rindy got to meet him and loves him. Well, adores him, actually...” she was rambling without knowing it. “I-I wanted to see you during it all, but we stopped at the toy store and lost track of time. I hope you don’t mind. It won’t happen again.” </p><p>There was a brief pause. Then,</p><p>“How nice of Dannie to treat you.”</p><p>“Carol, I should have told him ‘no’ if I knew it would bother you.”</p><p>“Why would it bother me?” Carol sounds defensive. “You’ve had a wonderful time. Rindy’s happy. That’s what matters to me the most. Maybe I’ll be thought of next time.”</p><p>“Don’t say it like that,” Therese rose her voice sharply. “I thought of you!”</p><p>“I’m stopping at the market first. I’ll be home soon.”</p><p>Therese closed her eyes.</p><p>“All right. I love you.” She heard Carol hang up and felt lousy from the whole ordeal. Rindy’s uplifting attitude was contrast compared to her weary demeanor.</p>
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